Nintendo Addresses Lack of Switch Backwards Compatibility

Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima explained the Switch’s lack of backward compatibility and that more ports from previous Nintendo systems could come to the system in the future.

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"Switch is not backward compatible with games designed for other systems, and is not currently compatible with controllers designed for other systems,” Kimishima told Time. “Support for certain controllers may be considered for a future update.“

During the January Switch presentation, Nintendo revealed that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would be coming to Switch on April 28. The enhanced port includes new characters, new items, and a revamped battle mode. In January 2016 it was rumored that Bandai Namco was working on a port of Smash Bros for Nintendo’s next platform, at the time Nintendo’s next system was codenamed NX, but nothing official has been announced yet.